The Tactician
by Neliel Von Schweetz
Summary: I'll never forget you. I'm not mad about what they did to you... as long as you're happy, so am I. I'm just glad... you protected your brother. You know I love you. And you'll always love me. And I'll always love you too... Ace.
1. Chapter 1

**A/N : Hi! This is Nell! Just for you to know, the romance will be coming later,  
****and there will be LOTS of it later! So please bear with me! Bye!  
**

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Luffy's Missing!

Nami's pov (pov means point of view)

Finally, some peace and quiet, on this ship, there isn't any... this quietness is so relaxing... I thought, as I sat on a beach chair, getting a tan.  
But then, this IS the Straw Hat Pirate crew...  
"Gah! Usopp! AHHHHH! USOPP! DON'T DIE ON ME!"  
"BAKA! AT LEAST I CAN SWIM! H-huh?"  
"Usopp?"  
"SAVE ME!"  
Good grief, and here I thought I'd be able to relax.  
"What the hell are you guys doing?!" I yelled, as I walked up to Luffy.  
"Usopp! He fell overboard! " said our captain, freaking out. Seriously.  
When I looked over the Thousand Sunny, I saw Usopp, surrounded by three giant sharks... bloodthirsty ones in fact.

" OW! THIS WEEK I'M FEELIN' SUUUUPPPPEEEER!" said Franky, doing his super pose. Am I really the only normal one here?  
"STRONG LEFT!" Franky said, shooting down the giant sharks, allowing Usopp to climb back on the Sunny.  
"I... thought... I... was... gonna die..." Usopp said, gasping, I then punched Usopp and Luffy's heads.  
"Baka! Luffy, how can you let Usopp fall over?! Usopp, you're not a fucking hammer! Besides, you could've used your slingshot!"  
I yelled, hands on my hips.  
"Ow... Nami, why'd you punch me? I didn't do anything!" whined Luffy.  
" What was I supposed to do with those giant sharks?" Usopp said. I sighed.  
" You two, try playing the ' quiet game ' "  
"Quiet game?" They asked me, with wide eyes.  
"Yes, the quiet game. Have you ever played it before?" I asked. They haven't changed a bit after two years.  
"Nope! sounds fun! how do you play? how do you play?" said Luffy, jumping up and down with excitement, his signature grin on his face.  
"It's easy, all you have to do, is be the quietest one, and until someone makes a noise, the other person wins!" I said.  
Luffy and Usopp paused a bit, then said "Sounds hard."  
I fell over, and shouted "HOW THE HELL IS THAT HARD?!" But then, I was interrupted.  
"Nami! we've got marines coming" Said the swordsman, grinning.  
"What?!" I looked out the sea, and saw...  
"AHHH! AN ENTIRE MARINE FLEET?!" I yelled. This is not good! After we defeated Doflamingo and Dressrosa's forces, the marines have been on us ever since.  
"Luffy! what are we gonna do?!" I yelled.  
"Beat them up." was Luffy's simple reply.  
"WHAT?! BAKA, THAT'S EVEN TOO MANY FOR US!" I yelled back at him.  
He just smiled that smile of his and said "Then it'd be more fun!" and went off towards the warships.  
"LUFFY!" I yelled, even though it was no good. Once he makes up his mind, no one can stop it.  
Soon after, Zoro and Sanji ran after Luffy too, along with Brook and Franky. "Yohohoho! Looks like we'll be having some fun, will you join us, Nami-san? Yohohohoho!" And off everyone left. I sighed, and decided, why not have some fun?

And off we all went, beating all those marines. And Luffy took on the commander, who was physically strong, and Luffy beat him without a sweat. Later, there were only about 100 marines left."WHAT THE HELL ARE THE STRAW HATS?!" "THEY'RE MONSTERS!" Zoro smiled and said "So, you all mangaed to survive?" some marines were barely able to stand, but then, a marine came out and fired a cannon ball. It missed us, but when we saw where it headed, all of our mouths hung open. It was directly at Luffy. "GOMU GOMU NO... BALLOON! Huh? eh? I feel so weak..." Said Luffy. "Kairouseki!" Robin said, staring at Luffy and the giant cannonball with concern, as Luffy flew across the sky.  
"LUFFY!" We all yelled. "GAHHHHHHH I'LL MEEEEETTTTT UUUUPPPPP WITTTTHHHHH YOOOUUUUU GUUUUUYS LAAAATTTEEEERRRR!"  
Said our captain, as a a twinkle appeared in the sky at where he flew off to. What are we gonna do?! Our captain's gone!

Later...  
"WHAT ARE WE GONNA DO?! LUFFY!" Said Usopp and Chopper, with tears running down their faces as they sobbed and ran around the room in circles, repeating the same thing. "Well, he said he'd meet up with us, but him and moss head here are both horrible with directions." Said Sanji. "WHAT'D YOU SAY YOU PERVY COOK?!" "HUH?! WHAT'D YOU CALL ME, MOSS BRAIN?!" This resulted into an argument. Again.  
I hope Luffy's alright...

N's pov (N's pov is narrator's point of view.)

Luffy was flying through the sky when he said "This is fun! I'm flying! wooohooooo!" But then the moment of joy ended when he crashed into an Island. After he got up and said "Where am I? This place looks cool!"

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Reviews will be greatly appreciated.


	2. Chapter 2

Meet The Tactician!

N's pov (Remember, N's pov means narrator's point of view!)

Luffy looked up at the island as he got up. There were stalks of green blades sticking out of the ground, with fluffy dandelions shooting out higher than the strands of grass. There were also flowers, giant ones, with the blue sky towering over them. Luffy climbed up on one of the strands of grass, and landed on a flower."Huh? this flower's bouncy! shishishishi!" He then bounced from flower to flower, without a care in the world. "This is fun! woohoo!" he bounced and bounced off every flower, then landed on something soft. "Hm?" Luffy got up and looked to where he was standing. He was on a fluffy dandelion! "This is REALLY soft!" he said as he lay down on the soft flower, but then, something caught his attention. There, on a flower in front of Luffy, was a giant grasshopper, hopping to a flower. Immediately, Luffy's eyes sparkled as he yelled out "OI! WAIT UP! GRASSHOPPER!" He chased down the poor thing until it didn't have any energy to run. When it stopped, Luffy said "Heehee! gotcha grassho-" "Marine, are you going to tell me why you are here, or not?" Luffy looked over to where the voice came from, and there was a clearing with a woman standing in front of a marine, tied to a pole, and beaten to a pulp.

The woman was beautiful. She had long glossy black hair that went to her back, light blue eyes, pale skin, red arm cuffs that went to her forearm that was flowy on the bottom, red leather shorts, a black v neck tank top with white buttons that showed her mid-section, and a wide brimmed red hat with a white feather to top it off. She was standing in front of the marine with both hands on her hips. "Well, are you going to answer me, marine-san?" "N-never... even if I told you... you'd still kill me anyway..." She smiled and said "True, but I'd let you die a painless death if you did." "You devil..." "Huh? there are people here? who knew." said Luffy, interrupting their conversation. "Who the hell are you?! why are so many people on my island?!" Luffy just ignored her and said "This place is amazing! shishishishi!" "HEY! ARE YOU EVEN LISTENING TO ME?! I SAID, WHO THE HELL ARE YOU?!" "Me?" said Luffy. "Yes, you!" Luffy smiled and said " I'm Luffy! The future pirate king!" The woman and marine just stared at him in shock. "Straw H-Hat L-Luffy!" said the marine. The woman just stared at him in shock, and her coldblooded expression turned into a sad one. "Pirate king... huh?" She said. Luffy grinned and said "Yeah!" "It's good to know... that you haven't given up on it..." Luffy's grin was replaced with a puzzled look when she said those words. "Nevermind what I said! my name is Mira. Pleased to meet you, Luffy." Mira said, walking to Luffy and extending her hand out to him. Luffy smiled and shook her hand VERY hard. "O-Oow..." Luffy grinned even wider and said " So you know where this place is?" Then Luffy finally stopped shaking her hand and let go. Mira clutched her hand and said "Y-Yeah... are you by any chance... Monkey D. Luffy?" "Yep!" "I see. If you were with the marines, I couldn't let you live." Luffy just grinned and said "Oh, really?" Then, Luffy's stomach growled, creating an awkward silence. "Shishishishi! I'm hungry! you guys got any food around here?!" Luffy said, looking around them to see if there was any food around. "Yeah. Would you like a meal?" "YES!" Luffy said, jumping up and down saying "Food, food, foooood!"

What a strange person... thought Mira. I've never seen a pirate like him.  
"Then shall we go?" She asked. Luffy nodded, but then stopped to look at the marine, and turned back to Mira "Oi, what about him?" Mira looked at the pathetic marine and said "Don't mind him. He'll die in 7 seconds from the special poison." "Really?" "Yes. one... two... three... four... five... six... seven." Then, the marine screamed out in agony, he was then losing his breath, he screamed out even more, and then, he died. "AMAZING! CAN YOU SEE THE FUTURE?!" Luffy asked. Mira chuckled and said "Nope. I'm a tactician" "Tactician?" said Luffy, clearly confused. "Yes. A tactician is a person who is skilled at tactics, and plans the next movement in the course of a battle." Luffy paused and stared at Mira nodding and then said  
"I see, it's a mystery person." Mira sweat dropped and said "Did you even understand?" "Nope." Mira deadpanned and said "THEN DON'T ANSWER IF YOU DON'T KNOW!" Mira yelled. "Ah~ I'm hungry~" Luffy whined, as his stomach growled even louder. Mira sighed, but then she smiled and said "Then follow me!"  
Then off they went.

"Are we there yet?" "No, Luffy." "Are we there yet~" "No Luffy, we are not there yet, so can you PLEASE quit your whining?" Luffy pouted and stuck his tongue out at Mira. Mira just sighed and walked on. Then, they were FINALLY there. The place where Mira led Luffy was in front of a huge cage. "Where is this place? Is there any food?" Mira smiled and said "Yes, just beyond this cave." When they walked through the cave, Luffy was surprised to see magnolia trees in the cave, and mysterious little blue lights moving around the cave. The scene was just beautiful. "Amazing..." Luffy said in surprise. "Do you like it? my mother planted those trees from since they were seeds..." Mira said, in a sad tone. "Are you curious about those?" Mira said, pointing to the mysterious blue lights wandering around the cave. "Yeah..." "They are sea esprits...spirits of the sea. They are said to bring luck to sailors and those who travel upon the sea. But they're also incredibly beautiful." "Really? so how do you get good luck?!" "If the sea esprit decides if you are worthy." She said with a smile. "Well, we're here." Then, they were outside the cave. There were island huts, a farm, a pirate ship with a red hat, and a training ground. There were people, old and young, doing their daily job as Luffy and Mira passed by, and Mira led Luffy to a particularly large hut, and there was a woman running towards Mira. "MI-CHAAANNNN!"  
She yelled, and when she was about to crash into Mira, she stepped aside, and the woman fell to the floor. Mira sighed and said "Hotaru. How many times have I told you not to do that?" "Sorry..." said the woman as she got up. She had bright wavy red hair that went to her mid back, a white and purple cowboy hat, white shorts, a sleeveless purple shirt with a collar, two guns at her sides, a whip on one side, and purple cowboy boots. "Huh..." said Hotaru as she saw Luffy. "EHHHHHHH! WHY IS THERE A STRANGER HERE, MIRA?!" She yelled. "Relax, he's not with the marines." Hotaru sighed in relief and said "So, why's he here?" "He's-" "I SMELL FOOD!" yelled Luffy, as he ran towards the kitchen, greeted by a brown haired woman in her mid 30's. "OH! W-Who are you, and what are you doing here?!" "I'm Luffy! Future Pirate King! oh, and I came here to get food." Luffy stated simply, and took the tray of meat right out of her hands and ate. Around that time, Mira and Hotaru came in. "Mira! who is this?" "I'm guessing he's a person stranded on this island, and he was hungry, so I took him here." "Mira! do you know what could happen if the marines found this place?!" Mira nodded and said "Yes I do. But rest assured aunt Maria, he's not with the marines." "Oh, I see." said the brown haired woman now known as Maria. "So, how'd you deal with the marine that came here?" "He's dead, aunt Maria. The marines won't be able to get any information." She said with a smile. Then Mira directed her eyes toward Luffy and said "Aunt Maria, I need you to make five tons of food. I have a feeling this Luffy is a bottomless pit" said Mira, eyes wide, watching Luffy scarf down the food. Maria nodded and did what Mira said, although she couldn't see why a skinny boy would eat that much. Boy was she wrong.

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**Why is it bad for the marines to come to this island? Why is there a pirate ship with a red hat on it doing here? Why is Mira always sad when she speaks of certain things? How will Luffy find his crew? What does Mira do as a Tactician? Will the Straw Hats be able to survive without their captain? Even worse, how will Maria deal with the bottomless pit, Luffy?!**

**Reviews will be greatly appreciated!**


	3. Chapter 3

**The Tactician ch. 3 " Mirajane "  
Disclaimer : I do NOT own One Piece! Just this story!**

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N's pov

"I-Impossible..." stuttered Maria, as Luffy ate plate after plate with food. Maria stood there, her jaw hanging open, and it was as if she frozed in shock.

But her moment of pure shock ended as Luffy called for more food. She then hurried to the kitchen to make five more tons of food. Mira chuckled as she slid into a seat next to him. "So... you're stranded on this island right? so how'd you get here?" Luffy paused a bit and said through chunks of meat "I flew here."

Hotaru, who was leaning on the wall, watched Luffy like a hawk. Not out of suspicion, but out of curiosity. Mira's eyes widened as she asked "How'd you fly here? I don't recall hearing stories of people flying to islands."

"I got hit by a giant kairouseki cannon ball." Luffy said bluntly. Hotaru's jaw instantly dropped.

"EHHH! YOU GOT HIT BY A GIANT KAIROUSEKI CANNON BALL?!" yelled Hotaru, in an earsplitting voice, "AND YOU'RE STILL OK?!"

Mira clutched her ears when Hotaru yelled. Hotaru's yelling nearly sent her_ deaf_. "Yeah." Luffy said, clearly not affected by Hotaru's earsplitting voice. "You're a devil fruit user, right?" Mira asked. "Yeah." Luffy said, before continuing to eat his food.

"How can you be ok?! you got hit by a giant KAIROUSEKI cannon ball! Are you ok? do you need medical attention? do you need a doctor? are you hurt anywhere?!" asked Hotaru, hovering over Luffy like a bee. "Taru-chan, I think he's alright. And don't you need to go to the forest and get some food? we're running out. And Luffy isn't helping at all." Mira said, as she pointed at Luffy, eating a giant stack of meat. Meanwhile, her aunt Maria was quickly trying to bring food to Luffy.

Hotaru sweatdropped and said " But I did! Just a few hours ago..." " Then go get some more. And don't worry if he eats more. According to my calculations, he'll be full in about thirty minutes or so." Mira said. Hotaru sighed and went along to what Mira said.

Hotaru went outside the hut and whistled.

...

nothing happened. "Lassie..." Hotaru said, with an angry mark on her head. Hotaru whistled again, still, nothing happened.  
That was when she snapped.

"LASSIE! GET YOUR LAZY, FAT, PONY ASS RIGHT HERE, **NOW!**" In an instant, a cloud of dust appeared on the right side of Hotaru, then it stopped right in front of her. When the dust disappeared, it revealed a white horse with blue eyes, gasping for air. Hotaru climbed on the white horse and giggled.

"Lassie... you DO remember what happened when you kept me waiting, right?" Lassie immediately nodded crazily. "Good." Then, she took the reins on Lassie and said "Giddy up, Lassie! Yeeeee-haw!" and off they went to the forest.

Mira smiled as Luffy ate his food "Luffy, what's your bounty?" "Four hundwed milliom " Luffy said, with his mouth full. "I heard you defeated Doflamingo. Congratulations! who ever thought that bastard would do all that to a country."

"Thanks... OI! BRUNETTE! I NEED MORE FOOD, PLEASE! " Then, rushed out Maria, panting heavily, with beads of sweat pouring down her face."O-OK! Just wait a minute!" Maria turned to Mira and whispered "Mi-chan! at this rate, we'll be out of food! are you _sure _he'll stop in about thirty minutes?" Mira smiled at Maria and said

"Aunt Maria, when have my calculations ever been wrong?" Maria smiled and knew that Mira's calculations could never be far from wrong, so she rushed back to the kitchen.

Mira was happy. No, she was _beyond _happy. She was _ecstatic._ She had _finally _met Monkey D. Luffy,  
the person who Ace saved... in exchange for his _life._

** ~ Mira's Past ~**

"Mom! mom! what was dad like? what did he look like? was he a pirate too?!" asked a young, nine year old Mira, who had her short black hair in two ponytails and wore a green dress. She was hopping up and down in front of her mother, who was sitting in a chair, reading a book.

"Woah there, calm down Mi-chan! " said Mira's mom, as she smiled at her hyper daughter. Little Mira hopped onto her mother's lap and grabbed the book in her hands and looked at the title. "Magnolias in the Summer Rain?" Mira asked, with curiosity. Her mother smiled at her.

She had long pink hair that was tangled a bit, and blue eyes. She wore red lipstick, a red overcoat, a white blouse, black leggings, red ankle boots, and of course, her signature wide-brimmed red hat with a white feather.

"So... what was dad like?" Little Mira asked.

"He... was very handsome." Her mom said."Mom! You say that _EVERY_ time!" pouted Mira. Her mom giggled and said "Alright Mi-chan, your dad's name... was _Magnolia Eric."_

**(A/N : I will be putting the last name first, like how they do it in Japan.)**

"Magnolia... Eric?" asked Mira, eyes wide. "Yes, that's why... I love magnolias.. they remind me of... your dad. You're Magnolia Mira, and I'm Magnolia Jacques Mirajane!" exclaimed Mira's mom.

"Mom, how come you have Jacques too?"

"Well, that was my last name before I married your dad."

"Oh..." was all Little Mira said.

"Mom... can I ask you a question?" asked Mira.

"Of course Mi-chan! so what's your question?" Mira hesitated a bit, not sure if she should ask her mother this particular question. A few minutes later, Mira asked "Mom... how did dad and Taru-chan's dad... die?"

**(A/N: Taru-chan is Hotaru, the cowgirl)**

Mirajane froze, not expecting her daughter to ask this question. Mira and Hotaru's dads had died a long time ago, and the girls knew very little of their fathers. They both grew up together like sisters.

"Mom?" asked Mira, tugging on Mirajane's overcoat. A small smile tugged on Mirajane's face as she said "Mi-chan... I can't answer that question. Maybe when you're older."

Mira pouted and said "Fine!" and jumped off Mirajane's lap, and went to play with Hotaru, but while she was running, she stopped,  
and turned around and stuck her tongue out at Mirajane, and went to find Hotaru.

Mirajane smiled and let out a small laugh before continuing to read her book.

"Mirajane..." said a familiar voice. Mirajane turned around and saw Maria. "You can't just deny them the truth. One day, they'll have to know." said Maria, her green eyes now looking at her captain seriously."I know Yumi doesn't want to tell Hotaru how Kaname died, too, but I just want to say, you two have to tell Mira and Hotaru someday." said Maria.

Mirajane's smile turned into a sad one. "I know, but how will Mira take it? She's only nine... I'll just tell her when she's older, alright?"

Maria sighed, and knew her captain wasn't planning to tell Mira until she was thirty or something.

"So, I finally find the Red Hat Pirates eh?" said a voice.

Mirajane and Maria quickly turned around to see a woman with short blonde hair wearing a marine sergeant's uniform.

"Don't worry big sis, I won't tell daddy you're here with that sweet little girl of that pirate and yours. Really Mirajane, how far have you fallen?"

"SHUT IT LEILA!" Yelled Mirajane, throwing her book at the woman supposedly named Leila, who dodged the book. "Oh, how scary! Big sister, why are you attacking me in _such_ a scary way! " said Leila, pretending to cringe in fear.

Mirajane growled. _J__ust what is this woman doing here!? _she thought. Leila giggled and said "Oh big sis, daddy was _very_ angry, yet, you still defied him. That was quite brave of you big sis, one of the reasons why I used to admire you. You were _fearless_."

"Leila... what the hell do you want?" seethed Mirajane. Leila giggled and said "Nothing, I just came for a visit to see how my little niece was doing."

"Then get lost." growled Mirajane.

"Oh, big sis, even after Eric died, you still haven't learned your lessons yet?" asked Leila, with a mischevious grin. Mirajane widened her eyes and felt her hands trembling. Leila noticed Mirajane's trembling and smiled.

"Big sis, you know daddy wants you dead. Heck, you're a _disgrace_ to the Jacques family." Leila said, with a grin.

"But she's the sole purpose for the Red Hat family!" shot back Maria.

"Hmm, say whatever you want." said Leila. Then she turned to Mirajane and said " Big sis, I also came here for another reason."

"What other reason?" growled Mirajane.

Leila smiled an evil smile and said "I've got a message for ya. It says ' _Hand over Magnolia Eric's daughter, or we will come. - Marineford ' " _

"What?!" yelled Mirajane in shock. "You heard me big sis, hand over your little girl, or we'll come." said Leila, before disappearing in a puff of smoke.

Mirajane fell to her knees, her eyes widened with terror.

_She had already lost her lover. And she wasn't going to lose her daughter too, no matter what!_

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**A/N: More of Mira's past will be shown in the next chapter! I hope you all like it, bye-bye!  
-Neliel Von Schweetz  
**

**Reviews will be greatly appreciated!**


	4. Chapter 4

**A/N :  
**  
**Demon Ragna : Thank you for all the advice and suggestions! I'll be sure to try it out!**

**Disclaimer : Do I look like Oda? no. Hence, I don't own One Piece.**

_** Save Me**_

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**~Mira's Past, Part Two~**

_Hand over Magnolia Eric's daughter, or we will come._

Those words still lingered in Mirajane's head.

"Mirajane. Mirajane. Earth to Mirajane, ehem! MIRAJANE!" yelled a younger Maria.

"Huh?!" said Mirajane. She looked around her to see that she was sitting in a chair at a big round wooden table.

She realized she had been spacing out, again.

"Eh heh, sorry Maria" Mirajane said.

Maria sighed at her captain's obliviousness to the situation at hand.

The Red Hats were having a meeting about what had just happened.

On the left of Mirajane sat Hiroshi Yumi, the Red Hat Pirates' chief sniper.

She had her long flaming red hair tied in a long ponytail,

Blue skinny jeans, a purple vest, a white shirt, and a white and purple cowboy hat.

She was Hotaru's mother.

On the right side of Mirajane sat Maria, and of course, we know her, she was the cook on the ship.

There was also Alfonso, Roland, Castelia, and Kathleen.

Alfonso was the head shipwright, he was a dark-skinned man who had brown hair,

Green eyes, and wore a blue t-shirt and black jeans. He was also very muscular, and he was in his mid forties.

Roland was a samurai and a swordsman. He followed a very strict code of conduct.

He was in his early thirties and was the head swordsman on the crew.

He had blonde hair that reached his shoulders and brown eyes.

Castelia was the ship's head navigator. She could read the sky, weather, and stars like a book.

She was known as the " _Star Summoner "_ the most famous navigator in the world.

She was a summoner, a type of human race thought to be extinct. And summoners were able to summon spirits from the _other world._

But of course, she was the last of them all.

Castelia had short electric green hair, pale skin, and blue eyes. She also had a moon shaped birthmark on her arm.

She wore a fuchsia colored tank top and midnight blue shorts.

Last but not least, was Dr. Kathleen. She was the head doctor on the ship.

She was very strict and commanding.

She had black hair that reached her shoulders and honey brown eyes.

She wore a doctor's coat, a black v-neck tee, and a red business skirt.

All the heads from the divisions of the Red Hat Pirates were at the meeting.

"So... they've finally found us, eh?" asked Yumi.

Mirajane and Maria nodded grimly.

It had been nine years ever since that incident, but Mirajane couldn't help but feel guilty. _It's all my fault... _she thought, _If only I hadn't joined..._

It was silent, Mirajane looked down at the table, she felt shameful...

"Mirajane..." Yumi said softly, "Don't put all the blame on yourself... we're all here... it's not your fault... we're all family, besides, it's what the former captain would've done to protect you, Mirajane, we're all... one big pirate family..." Yumi finished.

Mirajane looked up at Yumi, and stared at her dark brown eyes.

She looked in Yumi's eyes, but there wasn't even a hint of hesitation or doubt.

"I know we are... but I can't help it at all... it really is my fault... you don't have to share my burden..." replied Mirajane.

"What are you talking about, Mirajane? you don't need to weigh all the burden on your shoulders." answered Roland.

"I believe Mr. Roland is correct, Captain Mirajane." said Dr. Kathleen

"Doc's right, cap." replied Alfonso.

Mirajane didn't know what to think. She was just so glad.

"That's right. And if they do come, we'll just fight them, Mirajane. No need to worry. Our husbands sacrificed their lives for us, Mira, Hotaru, and everyone. Don't bear all the burden you have. We're here for you." Yumi said.

Mirajane looked up at Yumi. There was not a trace of hesitation nor doubt in her brown eyes. She meant those words by heart.

Yumi smiled, and exclaimed "So, we might as well ignore those damn marines!"

"Huh?" asked everyone at the table in unison, except, of course, Dr. Kathleen. She was just sipping a cup of tea and was enjoying a batch of cookies.

Yumi heaved a heavy sigh, and said, "Meaning, we ignore them. Can't you understand? we can just wait until they get tired of waiting, and when they come, we just go and kick their asses. Simple."

Mirajane face palmed herself, and said "Yumi... it's not that simple..."

"Of course it is!" retorted Yumi.

"But it's not! the marines have powerful people on their si-"

"Actually, I believe Miss First Mate is correct, Captain Mirajane. It is possible it can be as simple as that. True, the marines have powerful people on their side, as well as we do. I think we all should ignore them. Please, Captain Mirajane, have some faith." interrupted Dr. Kathleen.

Mirajane sighed " I'm sorry, I... should've put more faith in you all" she said.

Yumi, the first mate, smiled and said " It's all good, Jane!" patting Mirajane on the back.

Mirajane blushed in embarrassment. She looked away to the side, sipping her tea and tilting her hat a bit to conceal her blush. She tried to not let the others' at the table notice this, but, she failed.

"Aw~ Mirajane is embarrassed~ it's so cute~" swooned Roland.

"No need to be shy, Cappy!" giggled Castelia.

"She is right, captain. We all look after each other, ergo, there is nothing to be shy about." responded Dr. Kathleen, while pushing her red glasses up in a cool, calm, and collected manner.

"BWAHAHAHAHA! Cappy's embarrassed! BWAHAHAHA!" laughed Alfonso.

Mirajane turned a crimson red and yelled "I'M NOT EMBARRASSED!" then, she punched Alfonso in the head, leaving a huge bump on it.

And the next thing you knew, Alfonso was on the ground, passed out.

Mirajane had an angry aura seething off of her, and everyone at the table backed away.

That is, except for Dr. Kathleen, of course.

Mirajane always got angry when someone teased her. She had a really short temper that no one should _never_ mess with.

"Now, now, " soothed Dr. Kathleen, "I don't suppose that's a good way to handle the situation, Captain Mirajane."

Mirajane then stopped growling and hissing at poor Alfonso.

Dr. Kathleen sipped a bit of her tea, before continuing "That is quite immature, and I do know, that you, Captain, are not one of those rambunctious and immature pirate captains. So please, calm down, Captain Mirajane."

Still, Mirajane was still seething a bit of her angry aura.

Dr. Kathleen pushed her red glasses up professionally, and quickly took out a syringe, and immediately jabbed it in Mirajane's arm.

Mirajane closed her eyes, and let out a cry of pain. Later, she opens them, and looks around the room, and asks  
"Uh... why are you all staring at me? and why does my arm hurt?"

Castelia face palmed herself, while everyone else in the room just heaved a heavy sigh.

Dr. Kathleen took out the rubbing alcohol and rubbed it at the place where she injected the syringe. Then, she put a bandaid on it.

That syringe was Dr. Kathleen's insane to sane syringe, a syringe Dr. Kathleen made, ten years ago when Captain Mirajane joined.

"Oh, nothing at all, Captain. And, I just... injected... your limb. Nothing to worry about." replied Dr. Kathleen

"Um... okay?" answered Mirajane.

"Yep! so, we've taken care of this! I might as well go to the training grounds! See ya!" giggled Yumi, running out of the room.

"Oh god... I hope she doesn't kill _another_ pigeon..." sweat dropped Castelia.

"That is very targets are broken, ergo, Miss first mate uses those creatures for target practice. Such a shame, for such fascinating beings. Did you konow that the average albatross has-"

"Roland! Kathleen's using a bunch of fancy words again!" hollered Castelia.

Roland whipped around to face Castelia, his beautiful blonde hair swaying majestically as he turned around.

Castelia couldn't help but blush. Who couldn't, when you're around the beautiful Roland?

Well, the _former captain and first mate were more beautiful... _Castelia thought.

"Well then, what do you want me to do about it?"

"U-um c-can y-you t-tell her to-"

"_Such hopeless lovers..._" sighed Dr. Kathleen, walking out of the room.

"H-Hopeless... l-lovers?!" flustered Castelia.

"Adieu, my hopeless lovers, I will take my leave." replied Dr. Kathleen, departing.

"B-B-BUT WE'RE NOT H-HOPELESS L-L-L-LOVERS!" yelled a blushing Castelia.

"What? you don't want us to be... hopeless lovers, then?" sang out Roland's melodic voice.

"I-I-I..."

"I what?" questioned Roland, moving closer to her, grabbing her arms, which made her look directly into his icy blue eyes...

At this sudden action, Castelia's blush turned into a crimson red.

Which caused her to pass out.

Roland smiled a mischevious smile, and laid Castelia on her chair, then stood up to leave.

"Hopeless lovers indeed..." sighed out Mirajane and Alfonso.

Roland chuckled and responded with "_Hopeless indeed..._"

And with that, he left.

For some reason, Roland just loved to tease Castelia until she fainted. It was very amusing to him.

Alfonso laughed out "Bwahahaha! Castelia's got quite the flirty felloe, eh? Well then, bye Mirajane, bwahahaha! I'll certainly remember this!"

Then, Alfonso left, laughing on hysterically as he walked.

Maria giggled, and excused herself to the kitchen.

And _tap tap tap_ went Maria's heels as she walked out of the room.

Mirajane sighed.

"_Hopeless lovers... huh?"_ whispered Mirajane.

The meeting room was now empty.

Except for Castelia's light snoring...

"Eric... I promise... I'll keep Mira safe." she murmured.

Mirajane smiled, and left the room.

**~Mira and Hotaru~**

"Taru-chan! I want to be the pirate!" yelled Mira.

"No." pouted a nine year old Hotaru.

"NO FAIR!"

"YES IT IS!"

"NO IT'S NOT!"

"UH HUH!"

"NUH UH!"

"UH HUH!"

"NUH UH!"

"UH HUH!"

"NUH UH!"

"UH HU-"

"Girls, why won't you both be pirates?" interrupted Yumi, Hotaru's mother.

Both girls blinked at Yumi.

Then, both sank to the ground.

"Hm? what's wrong?" asked Yumi.

"We didn't figure it out on our own..." Mira and Hotaru grumbled.

Yumi giggled, and said "Can you go somewhere else to play? I've got target practice."

"Aunt Yumi... are you going to kill another pigeon?" sweat dropped Mira.

"You bet!" she replied.

"Mom..." groaned Hotaru.

"What?!"

"Do you know... how many pigeons you've killed? at this rate, they'll go extinct!" exclaimed Hotaru.

"Not really, Taru-chan. By my estimations, if Aunt Yumi kills at least ten pigeons a day, and there are about a million pigeons in the world, it'll ta-"

"Oh, be quiet! you're always ruining the mood with that big brain of yours!"

"Sorry..." mumbled Mira.

Yumi bursted out with laughter, as the two little girls blankly stared at her.

"AHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHA! Oh... oh... that's... just so... funny..." panted Yumi, trying to calm herself down.

"It's not funny."

Mira and Hotaru replied in unison.

"Oh, whatever. Taru-chan! want me to teach you how to shoot?" she asked.

Hotaru's eyes widened in excitement, as she nodded her head crazily.

"Alright then! What about you, Mira-chan?"

Mira shook her head and answered "No thanks."

Yumi cocked her head to the side and asked "You sure?"

"I'm positive." responded Mira.

"Ok, then!"

Mira nodded, and walked into the giant grass.

The towering blades of grass moved swiftly through the wind.

Mira's family were a family of pirates.

She had heard her aunts and uncles whisper and talk about her and Hotaru's fathers,

But no one said a word about them to the girls.

Mira always got the same answer every time she asked her mother.

_"Maybe when you're older"_

But when? Mira was already nine years old, and yet, they _still_ didn't tell her and Hotaru.

"Something's strange... why won't they tell us about them...?" she wondered.

**~ Pause of Mira's Past Part two ~**

**And now, back to reality with the Straw Hats...****  
**

"Oi! when are you all gonna stop?!" yelled Zoro, irritated.

Usopp, Chopper, and Franky turned around to Zoro, waterfalls streaming down their faces.

"But... LUFFY! WAHHHH!"

Sighing, Zoro went up to the crow's nest.

"I'll never be able to sleep with those idiots around..." he mumbled.

"WAHHH! LUFFY, WHERE ARE YOU?! LUF-"

"IDIOTS!" yelled Nami, punching all Usopp and Franky on the head.

"It's only been a day! give it a break!" She fumed.

"But..."

"SHUT UP!"

The three instantly stopped wailing, as Nami seethed with anger.

"H-Hai..." they responded.

"Hey, why din't you punch Chopper?!" retorted Usopp.

"Yeah!" agreed Franky.

"Because... who would want to hit him? he's adorable!" Nami replied.

At this, Usopp and Franky silently glared at Chopper.

"H-Hey~ don't call me adorable, asshole~ I won't fall for it, idiot~!" giggled Chopper, doing his little happy dance.

Nami smiled, and went to the navigation room.

She was happy that Luffy was gone, but worried at the same time.

"Why should I worry about him? I sewed a vivre card on the inside of his hat... we'll be sure to find him..." she mumbled.

"Hello there, Navigator-san." greeted Robin.

"Hi Robin..." sighed Nami.

Robin cocked her head to the side, and asked in a confused tone.

"Is something wrong?"

"I... I don't know..." responded Nami.

Robin chuckled.

"Navigator-san, there is no need to worry. We have his vivre card."

"I know, but... the place where he's at is... quite far..."

"Quite far?"

"Yes, we won't be able to get to the next island until three days, and if he's not on that island, we'll have to reach the next one..." worried Nami.

"What about the next one?" wondered Robin.

"That island is... _Secret Garden." _

"Secret Garden? you mean, that island?"

"Yeah... that island..." replied Nami.

"Secret Garden... that island is very famous... they say it's the most peaceful island in The New World, but it's surrounded by whirlpools, no one can get in, or out of that island." responded Robin, monotonously.

"What do you mean?"

"That island is surrounded by whirlpools. It's extremely hard to get in. But once you get in, it's quite peaceful, but, _you can never get out of that island."_

Nami started to slowly tremble, but quickly composed herself.

"Well, let's just hope Luffy's alright." she mumbled, and ran to the navigation room, shutting the door and leaning against it.

Nami slowly sat on the floor. One word, or better yet, a name, was the only thing on her mind.

"Luffy..."

**~Back to Mira's past part two~  
**

Little Mira walked throughout the tall grass, then sat on a big rock.

Her two ponytails swayed in the wind.

"I wonder what dad was like..." she murmured.

_"Oh... your father... was a big nuisance..."_

hissed an unusual voice.

Mira jumped in shock, and there stood a blonde haired woman.

"Who... are you...?" questioned Mira, backing away.

The blonde haired woman giggled.

Her blonde hair was short, yet stylish.

She had blue eyes, and wore a marine sergeant uniform.

And spread across her face was a sickening grin.

"Seems like your mommy is quite careless about the "message" I gave her, and so were her idiot underlings..."

The blonde haired woman spat.

"Who... who are you?"

"Who am I? Well then, your mommy didn't tell you about me? such shame!"

"Then, who are you?"

"I'm your auntie, aunt Leila."

"I... don't have an aunt Leila"

"Oh, you do, and I'm taking you away."

"What do you me-"

Instantly, Leila ran towards Mira, and knocked her out.

"Too easy..." she yawned.

Leila hoisted Mira on her shoulders and giggled.

"Mirajane, you won't be able to see her, again. We were going to take her, anyway. What a shame... you would have been... daddy's favorite, if only, if only you listened. If only you didn't fall in love with that damn pirate... you used to be my role model. But now, you're just a damn pirate like him. And I'm not going to stand by and watch my niece become a damn pirate, either."

Leila looked back to the island huts where the Red Hat family were, and wore a disgusted look.

She huffed, and in a split second, disappeared along with Mira in a puff of smoke.


	5. Chapter 5

**A/N : Hello there!**

** I just want to let you all know that I really appreciate the feedback!**

**And by the way, I won't be updating until two to three weeks later, since I'm about to wrap up Mira's past! :D**

** And if you want to know when I'll be updating, I've put up this story updates thing on my profile, so you can see when I'll update! **

**I hope you enjoy this chapter, and Merry Early Christmas! :)**

**~ Nell**

* * *

**Where**_** is she?**_**  
**

**~Mira's Past part three~**

* * *

"Maria... do you think... Mira's alright...?" asked a certain worried mother.

"I think she'll be fine, Mirajane, she's a smart girl!" exclaimed Maria.

Mirajane looked over at her brunette friend.

She was wearing a white apron and a green long-sleeved dress.

Mirajane looked in her eyes, and her emerald eyes made her reassured.

"I hope so..." murmured Mirajane.

Maria looked into the gigantic grass.

The sun was setting.

It was getting dark.

Mira had been gone for hours on end.

Maria resumed to washing the dishes, as her captain just stared aimlessly at the giant green strands of grass reaching towards the sky.

After that, the kitchen in the island hut was in utter silence.

Until that silence broke.

"MIRAJANE! Is Mira back yet? I hope she's not cold! she might catch a cold! Do you want me to find her?" chimed Castelia.

Mirajane turned around, and faced Castelia.

She smiled and nodded.

Castelia grinned ear to ear,

and a pink energy emitted from her,

as she created a small sphere, and mumbled out

_"Lune et ciel, lumiere de la terre, et te trouver!"  
_

suddenly, the sphere in Castelia's hands seperated into eight, and spread out in a circle, and zoomed into different directions.

Castelia turned around to Mirajane and Maria and grinned even wider.

"That was _Voyageur Celeste_, it's one of my new moves!" exclaimed the beaming Castelia.

Mirajane and Maria clapped in awe, as the streaks of pink lights zoomed outside of the island.

"So Castelia," responded Maria, "how exactly does this move work?"

"Oh, well you see, in _Voyageur Celeste_, first, I have to do a chant from my race, and eight beams of pink lights will appear out of the sphere, and all eight will disappear in eight different directions, and will find the certain person or thing I want to find. And all we have to do, is wait."

explained Castelia.

Maria nodded, and looked up at the night sky.

The three women were outside all the Island huts, as a swift wind blew by, and their dresses and cloaks fluttered softly with the wind.

"When... when are those spheres coming back?" asked Mirajane.

Castelia sighed, "The closest she is, the sooner they get here."

Castelia smoothed her short electric green hair, a habit she always had whenever she was worried.

Mirajane looked over to Castelia, then the moon.

* * *

~ The Next Day... ~

* * *

"MIRAJANE! MIRAJANE, MARIA! EVERYONE! IT'S HERE!" hollered Castelia, _very early_ in the morning.

Castelia was one with nature. Everyday, she got up at four in the morning to do yoga.

"Ugh... Castelia..." groaned Mirajane,

"WHAT THE HELL, CASTELIA!" yelled Yumi,

then, there was chuckling.

"Oh my, my Castelia is an early bird" smiled Roland, causing Castelia to blush a crimson red.

"Castelia... why so early...?" groaned Alfonso.

Mirajane, Yumi, Roland, and Alfonso we're standing outside on the beach,

in their pajamas...

"Hm? where's Kathleen?" wondered Maria.

And suddenly, a black silhouette emerged behind Castelia and-

"What the helll... did you do that for?" it asked.

"U-Ummm..."

"GAHHHHHHHHH!"

and then, the black silhouette punched Castelia on the head.

"Well... it looks like Kathleen's awake..." sweat dropped Mirajane.

Dr. Kathleen chased Castelia all around the beach, while the others, just blankly stared at the crazy Dr. Kathleen.

"Guys... guys... GUYS!" yelled Yumi.

And then, Dr. Kathleen and Castelia skidded to a stop and faced Yumi.

"What?" they asked in unison.

Yumi sighed and face palmed herself.

"Castelia..." sighed out Yumi, "what did you wake us up for?"

"This better be worth it..." mumbled Dr. Kathleen.

"The spheres are back! They've found Mira!" exclaimed Castelia happily.

At this, everyone's face brightened.

"I'm going back to bed..." muttered Dr. Kathleen, walking back to her island hut.

"This is great! Well, where are they?" asked Maria.

Castelia grinned, and snapped her fingers.

_*snap*_

The eight spheres came whooshing back to Castelia.

"Spheres des etoiles, me montrent ou toi est!" chanted Castelia.

The eight spheres slowly merged,

turning into a giant sphere.

An image appeared on the sphere, but the image was blurry.

After a few moments, the image took place.

In the image on the giant pink sphere,

There was a marine ship.

And on that ship, Mira was in a large cage, bounded by chains.

In front of Mira, was a slim slender figure.

Mirajane's eyes widened in shock.

The slim and slender figure was none other than Leila.

little Mira's green dress was dirty and tattered,

blood had stained her pale skin,

her hands were bound to chains,

as Leila wore a cocky smirk.

Leila held a whip, and raised it up, and whipped Mira with it.

Mira yelled out in pain, as blood splattered around the marine ship's deck,

and, the scene disappeared.

"M-Mira..." chocked out Mirajane.

Maria moved closer to Mirajane, and gave her a hug.

"Mirajane, it's going to be alright..." soothed Maria, "we'll rescue her. She'll be alright."

* * *

~ On The Marine Ship ~

* * *

"Well, it's been a while, my little niece." giggled Leila.

"What... do you... w-want with me?" groaned Mira.

_drip drip drip_,

blood was flowing down to the deck of the ship from Mira's cuts and wounds.

"Just using you as bait" responded Leila nonchalantly.

"W-What?"

"You heard me. Bait. For the big fish."

Mira was shocked.

She tried to crawl over to the bars,

but she was bounded to these chains.

She had scars on her back, and her dress was a bloody mess.

Mira stared at the blonde woman claiming to be her aunt,

and clenched her teeth.

But she was also slowly trembling.

Leila snickered at the little girl's struggles,

as she slowly trembled.

_It can't be..._ she thought,

_they just...can't... mom... please...don't come... please...stay away from here!_


End file.
